Robert Durst doctor ‘kills it again

You cannot reproduce a phenomenon. But that doesn’t mean the story ended when the uproar did.

That’s essentially the reasoning behind HBO’s “The Jinx: Part 2” (premiering Sunday, 10 EDT/PDT, ★★★ out of four), a six-episode sequel to the 2015 blockbuster true-crime documentary about real estate heir Robert Durst, which led to his eventual indictment and conviction for the murder of his girlfriend Susan Berman in 2000.

Director Andrew Jarecki’s original series, which spent hours interviewing a surprisingly cooperative Durst on camera, was a huge cultural moment, with headlines and endless dinner conversations. At the time, Durst – who was also a prime suspect in the disappearance of his first wife Kathie in the 1980s but was acquitted of the murder of his Texas neighbor Morris Black in 2001 – made the unwise decision to conduct hours of interviews with Jarecki. The director confronted him with evidence, old and new, and in an infamous “hot mic” moment, alone in a bathroom, Durst said he “killed them all, of course.”

Durst was arrested in New Orleans on March 14, 2015 for Berman’s murder, the day before the “Jinx” finale aired. Jarecki and his team dutifully followed the rich man’s story until his death on January 10, 2022, at the age of 78.

Every second act of a first show like “Jinx” will inevitably feel like a bit of a disappointment. How do you top someone who accidentally confesses to murder over a live microphone? Of course you can’t. And as you watch Part 2, you may be looking for bangers that don’t arrive, at least not in the four (out of six) episodes made available for review. But while we may know the end of Durst’s story, there’s still plenty for the series to explore.

Part 2 picks up right where Durst’s story left off in 2015, with his newfound fame from the documentary, and chronicles the last seven years of Durst’s life, beginning with that arrest and ending with his conviction. To tell the story, Jarecki and his team had full access to both the prosecution and defense in Durst’s eventual trial, as well as many of the returning talking heads from the first season: friends and family of Berman and Kathie Durst, writers and commentators. and lawyers. Instead of interviews with the man himself, the filmmakers use a series of recorded phone calls from an imprisoned Durst to various acquaintances.

“Jinx” is still the glossy, thinking man version of the true crime documentary. Jarecki, who has been capturing Durst for nearly two decades, crafts episodes that are riveting and addictive, with on-the-nose needle drops of pop songs and carefully constructed cliffhangers at the end of each installment. And he doesn’t have to work hard to make this story interesting, even in this epilogue-turned-sequel: Durst’s life remains one of our most mind-boggling, real, must-see-and-believe stories. His murder case was no ordinary murder case.

While still compelling and creepy, it’s a bit anticlimactic compared to the original season. The 2015 episodes were so unique and surprising because Jarecki spoke one-on-one with Durst. It was dazzling and disconcerting to see such a disarming man of infamous smarts and charm lie and twist under interrogation, even before the final hot mic moment. Each true crime documentary weaves its own story through interviews, archival footage and news clips (and what the filmmakers chose to exclude). Far fewer get the chance to confront the alleged killer.

There’s also a self-indulgent aspect to the first few episodes that borders on unnecessary. Yes, the documentary played a huge role in Durst’s arrest and eventual conviction, but the time for pats on the back is at Hollywood wrap parties. Anyone invested in the story enough to tune in for Part 2 probably knows all about the “Jinx” effect.

If it sounds like nitpicking, it is. When you set expectations as high as Jarecki did in 2015, you can only expect the final product to be dissected. “Jinx: Part 2” is still miles above the average murder doc. It’s still surprising. It’s still emotional. It’s still almost impossible to stop watching once you start.

True crime stories can’t always provide closure, but this time we know “Jinx” will take us all the way to the end.

Naturally.

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